Lamp-reducer.



WU. WIRT.

LAMP REDUGER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, 1901.

904,826. Patentefl. H0124, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 G. WIBT.

LAMP REDUGER.

. APPLICATION'IILBD MAR. 18, 1907.

" Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

2 SEEETSSHEET 2.

M I In ven tor (m wk 2 J)! 4} j Attorneys.

Witnesses 25 '18 With the center-pin of the lamp.

wardly in convenient reach to be grasped. About the center of the cordor chain it is attached to a staple or loop 28. From this loop the cordor chain leads on both sides through hulls-eyes 2929, carried upon ayoke or bracket 30 by the fiange'23 of the plug 4. These bulls-eyes givea proper lead for the cords or chains 27, and transform pass through thesheathing of the neck of,

the lamp to the socket 5; thence it will pass either directly throughthe-clip to the disk 22, and thence to the outer wall of the plug l, orthrough the Whole or a portion of the resistance coil, depending uponWhether the disk 22 is in contact with the clip or clip 26. By rotatingthe rheostat ring to cause the clip 25 to engage with the disk 22, therheostat coil will be short-circuited and the lamp i ill burn with fullbrilliancy. By engaging the clip 2a with the disk 22 by rotating therheostat ring the entire resistance coil will he in series with thelamp, and thus reduce the hrilliancy by an amount determined by theresistance of the coil. By

' turning the rheostatring so that the clip 26 is in contact with thedisk 22 only a portion of the resistance Will he in circuit;consequently a greater amount of light Will be produced. By determiningthe position of the clip 26 Whereit engages with the coil, the amount ofresistance in circuit With the lamp can be ascertained. A termediateclips similar to 26, engaging With different portions of the coil, maybe em- .ployed, as is obvious. if it be desired to produce differentvariations in amount of light. hen the disk 22 is not in engagement withany of the clips 24:, 25 or 26,- the circuit naturally broken and thelamp is not lighted.

I may modify my invention in many, Ways, one modification being shown inFigs. 6 and 7. In this modification the coil 6 is a coil of superposedlayers, the number of layers being as many as desired. 'The clip 26 engages with the coil Where the inner and outer coils are connectedtogether" The clip 24 is connected to the upper extremity of the outercoil and the clip 25 is connected to the upper extremity of the innercoil and also to the inner shell 8. This construction gives.

v. the full cooling area of surface for each coil and helps the heatlodissipate freely.

number of illceases In the modification shown in Figs. 9, 10

ln order to limit the extent of rotary movement of the rheostat ring, afinger 31 on the ring or socket part extends into a cutaway cavity 32made in the insulation of the plug. This cavity occupies a portiononlyozt a circle, and limits the turning movement oi the ring. the ringwill also be turned, successively en gaging the contact clips 24, 25 and26 With the spring disk 22.

I may use any form of insulating material which has the necessarymechanical strength, electrical insulation and heat-resisting qualities.I find that a mixture of Portland cement properly treated suliices, andpossesses the further advantage that it may be readily molded. The lowerend of the outer shell 8 may he provided with a bead, as shown,.to moreeffectually support the outer casing upon the insulation.

Fig. 13 shows one manner of securing the cord. in place. It is desirableto attach the cord after the rheostet ring is finished, and the positionof the contact points determined. ilhe point of attachment must bear a.definite relation to these points, and is best made in the manner shown.lhe cord is. looped around the spring clip which is sprung in placebetween the flanges on the outer casing 8. The frictional engagement ofthe clip with the flanges Wlll hold.

the former in any position it may be placed.

Another portion of my invention consists in properly proportiouing theresistance to the voltage and amperage otthe current, by ineans of whichI avoid excessive heat when the lamp is working upon reduced candlepower. This I make possible by proper relation between the candle powerand the number of amperes used. What is required practically in abed-room light and for By turning the lamp bulb many other purposes, isa low candle power for giving a moderate light, say, of two oi;

three candles, and in addition, a dull-red, carbon, which will ndicatethe location of.

the lamp hile giving but an extremely small amount of light. Thefollowing fig ures are given by ProfessonLangley for candle power andresistance, representing a. test on an ordinary 16-candle 50 watt-1ncandescent lamp:-

l. Candle power-equals .2; resistance in the circuit of the lampequals.200% of the lamp resistance. I i

2. Candle power equalsig'resi'stancelin the circuit of the lamp equals55%: off. the lamp resistance.

gas

Candle power equals -2;-r esi stanoe in have it understood that theapparatus shown is merely illustrative and that the invention can hecarried out in other ways.

Having now particularly described the nature of my invention, and in Wl"manner the some is to be performed, claim and desire to ecure by LettersEit. ii] is:

L A lamp reducer having a socket for attachment to a lamp and a plug forattachment to a'socltet and a rotary rheostat ring surrounding thesocket.

2. A lamp reducer having an attaclnnent for a lamp, an attachment to asocket, and a rotary rheostat ring surrounding the attachment for thelamp and means operated by the rotation of the ring for interposing avariable resistance in circuit with the lamp.

3. A'lamp reducer having a plug for attachment to a socket and a socketfor attaclr ment to a lamp, a rheostat ring surrounding the socket andhaving contacts and a spring in engagement with the contacts.

4. A lamp reducer having a plug for a socket and a socket for a lamp,the said plug having a non-circular projection, a spring disksurrounding the projection and a rheostat ring surrounding the lampsocket and having contacts in engagement wit the sprin disk.

5. i lamp reducer comprising a resistance, the said resistance being soproportioned as to reduce the candle power of a constant potentialelectric lamp or lamps in steps or divisions so proportionedas to permitof having in series with the-lump or lamps a resistance considerablyless than the lamp resistance, or cons lamp resistance, so that themaximum amount of heat which will be generated in r the resistance whenthe ohmic value equals the ohmic value of the lamp is avoided.

6. A reducer for electric lamp regulation comprising a helical coil, atresistance Wire and contact bars disposed parallel to axis of said coil,inner and an outer cylindrical and an insulatingtllling adapted to actas a support and to hold the several members in position.

'2; it. reducer tor electric lamp regulation :lerably more than theceases comprising a helical coil in one or more layers, contact barsparallel to the axis of said coil and exposed at one or both ends,'abody of molded heat-resisting insulating material acting as a support,together with a suitable contact member movable relatively to thecontact bars.

8. A reducer for an electric lamp or lamps having two or more steps, theresistance for each step consisting of a layer occupying practically thefull available area for the purpose of gettil'ig rid of heat mosteffect-- ively.

9. An electric resistance adapted to reduce the candle power of anelectric lamp having spring contacts co-acting with a contact orcontacts on the lamp, whereby all or a part of said resistance may beput in circuit with 1 said lamp to the end of getting more or lesscandle power.

10. An electric resistance adapted to reduce the candle power of aconstant potential electric lamp having steps or clivisions soproportioned as to permit of having in with the lamp a resistanceconsiderably less than the lamp resistance, or considerably more thanthe lamp resistance to the end that the maximum amount of heat whichWill be generated in the resistance when the ohmic value equals theohmic value of the lamp be avoided.

3t resistance for reducing the candle an electric lamp consisting of ashe l fitted to engage the lamp holder, is of wire or other resistancecon- ;t with ashort-circuiting member, who v the amount of resistance incircuit ma LE8 varied or the resistance cut out altogether when fullcandle power of the light is desired.

This specification signed and witnessed this 15th day of lvlarch, 1907.

CHARLES Wni'r.

and into col ii itnesses lmoiviino ll. Dyna, Jenn S. Loreen.

